HMPCC 09

Chapter 09

The meal was eaten in complete silence; neither of them uttered a word. After eating, Yun Chu guided him into the bathroom and placed the showerhead into his hand.

“You’ll be fine on your own, right?” Slipping in the bathroom was no laughing matter.

Mu Ze nodded. “Thank you.”

Yun Chu raised her brows, said nothing more, and turned to leave the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water echoed from inside.

She lay on her stomach on the sofa scrolling through short videos, her long, slender legs swaying lazily in the air. Suddenly, a notification popped up at the top of her phone screen. Yun Chu tapped it open.

[A client explicitly requested you for a job. Taking it? The other party is offering 500,000.]

Her slender fingers tapped rapidly across the screen: [Timeframe?]

After sending it, her toes curled up and down excitedly. Having not earned extra cash for three years, her hands were practically itching. She could view this as building up a secret nest egg for when she eventually left the Mu Residence.

The other party replied almost instantly: [They’re in a rush. Before midnight tomorrow.]

Yun Chu’s eyes darted thoughtfully. Her work schedule at the Mu Group left her with plenty of free time, so this shouldn’t be an issue.

Then, another message popped up: [The client is an expert in the field. The requirements will be exceptionally high.]

Yun Chu smiled confidently at the screen: [Are you worried my skills have rusted after three years? Have them transfer the deposit.] In her professional domain, she never doubted her own abilities. After sending the text, Yun Chu exited the chat and resumed browsing videos.

Thud!

“Sss—”

Inside the bathroom, a heavy thud was immediately followed by Mu Ze’s low, pained groan.

As expected, an accident happened exactly when it was least wanted. Yun Chu didn’t even have time to slip on her slippers; she tossed her phone aside, ran over barefoot, and instantly pushed the bathroom door open.

“Are you okay?”

Mu Ze was wearing only a pair of black boxers, his back pressed against the wall as he sat on the tile floor. Water continuously dripped from his hair, and his skin was still glistening wet. Crucially, his eyes were still bandaged.

The scene exuded pure, raw masculinity.

Yun Chu averted her gaze, bending down to grab him by the elbow to pull him up. Mu Ze’s brows were tightly knit as he endured the pain. “My back.”

“Let me look.” Yun Chu supported him anxiously, leaning over to check behind him.

The left side of his shoulder blade had a large patch of angry redness that was already starting to bruise; the impact had been severe. She said in a serious tone, “Let’s get you out first.”

Once Mu Ze was seated on the bed, Yun Chu placed a dry bath towel into his hands. “Dry yourself off first. Do you have any bruise ointment?”

“First drawer of the nightstand.”

Yun Chu turned around, bent over, and pulled open the top drawer. The entire space was packed with various medications. Aside from standard cold and fever remedies, more than half of the drawer was filled with sleep aids.

“Do you suffer from chronic insomnia?” Yun Chu asked casually as her hands rummaged through the drawer.

“Mm.”

Ever since the explosion three years ago, he rarely got a good night’s sleep. The moment he closed his eyes, flashes of that day would replay in his mind—the raging fire, the flying sparks, the suffocating smoke. He had been blindfolded and pushed down the stairs, and to this day, the culprit hadn’t been found.

“Found it. Turn around a bit.”

Mu Ze complied obediently. Kneeling with one knee on the bed, Yun Chu opened the bottle and began applying the ointment bit by bit. Her fingertips pressed and massaged his smooth, defined back in slow, rhythmic motions. The two were incredibly close, their breaths intermingling in the tight space.

Outside the window, a cool evening breeze rustled, refreshing and pleasant. Inside the room, however, the atmosphere was gradually warping into a thick, scorching ambiguity.

Mu Ze clenched his hands tightly into fists. He picked up the towel from earlier and draped it over his lap, attempting to conceal a certain physical reaction. His voice grew dark and raspy, carrying an immense effort at self-restraint. “No need to massage anymore…”

“What’s wrong?” Did she hurt him? She was clearly being very gentle.

Mu Ze’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. His throat felt incredibly parched, and his heart was hammering wildly against his ribs. Caught in a wave of flustered panic, he caught Yun Chu’s wrist. “I… I want to sleep.”

With that, Mu Ze stood up, wrapped the towel securely around his waist, and clumsily groped his way toward the sofa.

“?”

Yun Chu stared at his slightly disheveled back, then glanced at the ointment in her hand, thoroughly bewildered. It was just applying medication; why did he look like he was running for his life?

As she went to put the medicine back, her eyes accidentally caught a generic bottle without a label. Driven by curiosity, she opened it and took a sniff. Instantly, her expression turned grave. “There’s something wrong with your medication.”

Mu Ze turned his head back. “Which bottle? What’s wrong with it?”

Yun Chu took out one of the pills, bringing it close to her nose to double-check. “This unlabeled bottle contains an aphrodisiac component. The dosage added is very minuscule, but if taken over a long period, it accumulates like a toxin in your system. Once it reaches a certain threshold, it triggers an episode.”

Chronic usage would, at best, lead to renal failure and infertility, and at worst, cause the heart to remain in a constant state of hyper-arousal, leading to death by heart failure. No matter the outcome, the damage was irreversible.

Mu Ze sank back onto the sofa powerlessly, resting his elbows on his knees with his fists clenched tightly. “Only Shen Yan, my father, and my sister know about this medication.” Back then, to alleviate the sleep difficulties caused by his severe psychological stress, they had specially commissioned someone to develop this formula.

Yun Chu’s pupils dilated. The cutthroat feuds of the ultra-wealthy truly made the petty squabbles of the Yun family look like child’s play.

Mu Ze turned his back to her and lay down, his voice cold. “Go to sleep.”

Outside the window, a gentle rain fell steadily throughout the night.

The next morning, Yun Chu woke up to find that Mu Ze was already gone. After finishing her breakfast alone, she headed to the Mu Group for work. The CEO’s office remained spotlessly clean, so she simply sat down to focus on her own tasks. She pulled her tablet from her bag, opened a sketching software, and began designing.

Three years ago, after winning a major jewelry design competition, numerous wealthy socialites had offered exorbitant prices for her manuscripts. She had made a handsome sum through this craft, but every cent had ultimately been plundered by Xu Peizhi and her daughter. Their excuse had been: “The Yun family provides your food and drinks, yet you’re hiding private savings. How can you be so selfish!”

Reflecting on it now, Yun Chu only found it hilarious.

Knock, knock!

A knock sounded at the door. Yun Chu quickly saved her draft and closed the tablet interface. “Come in!”

The Design Director, Xiao He, pushed the door open dressed in a sharp suit. “Yun Chu, I was hoping to ask you for a favor.”

Xiao He had helped her countless times during university. Now that he was facing a difficulty, it was only right that she lent a helping hand. “What kind of favor?”

He lowered his eyes slightly, pondering for a moment. “Tonight, we need two representatives from the design department to attend a product launch on behalf of the corporation. However, the colleague who was originally scheduled had a family emergency and took leave, and I can’t find a suitable replacement on such short notice. I remembered your strong professional capabilities in design, plus you’ve participated in many large-scale events in the past. Furthermore, as President Mu’s fiancée, you are the most appropriate person to attend.”

This put Yun Chu in a difficult position. If she truly intended to stay at the Mu Group long-term, or if she were genuinely Mu Ze’s fiancée, it wouldn’t be an issue. The problem was that she was only here to bide her time for two months before leaving.

Yun Chu hesitated, trying to formulate a polite refusal. “Tonight, I—”

He cut her off gently. “Back when we worked on that research project together, I accompanied you everywhere to hunt for design inspiration. Surely you won’t turn me down now?” Xiao He spoke with absolute sincerity.

With the conversation pushed to this point, she could no longer find a way to refuse. Yun Chu tugged the corners of her mouth into a strained smile. “…I won’t. I’ll go tonight.”

Xiao He pushed back his chair and stood up, a smile curving his lips. “Then I’ll wait for you downstairs at the company tonight.” After he left the office, Yun Chu rushed to work on her design manuscript.

Meanwhile, a highly explosive confrontation was taking place elsewhere.

Inside the ophthalmology consultation room, Mu Ze sat in his wheelchair with gauze covering his eyes, though his naturally commanding posture lacked any trace of illness. He raised his hand and hurled the medicine bottle forward, hitting Shen Yan squarely in the chest.

“Explain.” Two cold, brief words were the absolute limit of his patience.

Shen Yan knit his brows, bending down to retrieve the bottle. He held it in his hand, glanced at it, and immediately fired back defensively, “You suspect me? From the initial drug development to the manufacturing, and finally to your hands, countless people touched this formula. I will personally investigate this thoroughly!”

Mu Ze’s face remained icy. “I know you aren’t that stupid. But I’ve had several episodes; how could you have failed to notice?”

Alright, on that specific point, Shen Yan did have selfish motives. Seeing Mu Ze living his life like an ascetic monk, he had resorted to this desperate measure to force him to find a woman! The man was a fully grown adult, yet his cold detachment was downright terrifying.

“I planned to tell you in another month. But since you have Yun Chu now anyway, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

Yun Chu… Mu Ze recalled his last episode, which had led to their very first night together. Furthermore, during their recent close interactions, she always seemed to inadvertently trigger a certain switch within him.

Mu Ze’s Adam’s apple rolled heavily, his voice deep and low. “One month. Find out who did it.”

A moment later, Gao Sheng entered the room to wheel him out of the office.

Inside the car, Gao Sheng sat in the driver’s seat, turning his head slightly to report, “President Mu, Madam is scheduled to attend a competitor’s product launch with Xiao He tonight.”

When she was with him, she couldn’t wait to draw a clear line between them, yet she was acting entirely open and aboveboard with another man.

In an instant, the temperature inside the confined car seemed to drop by several degrees. Mu Ze sat expressionless, maintaining a heavy silence. The longer the silence stretched, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. Gao Sheng sat on pins and needles, goosebumps breaking out all over his skin.

After a long while, Mu Ze spoke slowly, “Tell their CEO that I want to have tea with him tonight.”